Taking Chances
by caught in the wind
Summary: Two totally different people, who have nothing in common, need each other more than they will ever know. NILEY. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Hey guys! Well, this is something I just HAD to write. I was thinking up ideas for future 'fillers' for See You In The Dark, but somehow this filler idea expanded into an entire new stroy. Basically, I am in love with it. Like, really. I wrote like 3/4 of this chapter in a straight away, and the rest took me a little longer, haha. I know there's a bunch of spelling mistakes, but my new computer won't let me go on Word until I install it, & quite frankly, I can't be bothered to install it yet :P But yeah. I really love this story, and it would mean a lot of you reviewed and told me if you want to continue. I have lots of ideas, but it's going to be like a 'make it up as I go along' type of story, but I like taking risks with my writing, so I can't wait to see where this story goes! :] See You In the Dark will be updated sometime next week, I Hope. For now, review this & make my week! :] **

Her name was Miley. She was so, so beautiful; long, perfect light brown hair with soft caramel highlights, the body which any girl would kill to have, and the most amazing blue eyes you could ever imagine. You would've never of guessed that behind her beautiful mask, was a troubled young woman.

Her problems started when her mother died, exactly seven years ago. Her father became an alchoholic, her uncle was murdered, her aunty commited suicide...Her family, basically, died out. All the things her beautiful blue eyes had witnessed...Her life was pretty tragic.

It was a Saturday night, and Miley was in a rowdy club. She stumbled out of the club's ladies bathroom after applying some more make- up. Naturally, she'd went totally over the top: her eyes were dark, and smoky; she wore deep red lipstick, which she has appiled over and over again after kissing a countless number of boys.

Miley stumbled over to the bar, and ordered herself a strong cocktail; she'd only ordered 'The Nighthawk' because it looked pretty. As she sat at the bar, waiting for drink, she could've swore that the young man sitting next to her was glancing at her. Miley laughed mentally, _Every guy in this club is looking at me_. But, this guy was looking at her...differently. It looked like he was dissiproving of her behaviour of something. Who the fuck did he think he was?

Miley ignored his glances, however, and smiled wide as her cocktail -- complete with a little pink umbrella stuck on the side -- was brought over to her. She grabbed it from the waiter and gasped as it was grabbed out of her hands.

"I think you've had enough," that staring guy said to Miley as he passed the cocktail back to the waiter.

"...What the _fuck _did you just do?!" Miley growled, staring helplessly after her colourful cocktail.

"I just saved you from becoming completely and utterly wasted," he replied tactfully.

Miley narrowed her eyes at him, "Smart ass."

"You should be thanking me," he told her.

"Why would I thank you?! You just took away my cocktail." Miley scoffed.

He chuckled, "Yes I suppose that was a pretty nasty move."

Miley stared at his amused smile. Who the hell was this guy? "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, turning his head and staring right into her eyes.

"Take my drink away from me, _obviously_." Miley said with attitude.

"I did it because you're one drink away from being wasted. Which could lead you to being taken advantange by one of these many admirers you have." he nodded his head towards the group of young men on the dance floor staring at Miley.

"You're weird," Miley noted, raising her eyebrows at the handsome young man before her. Most of the boys in this club would take advantage of Miley quicker than a snap of their fingers, but this guy...this guys was different.

"So I've been told," he shrugged.

"What's your name?" Miley asked curiously. Her anger for him was slowly dying down.

"Nick," he said, "You?"

"Miley," she said without hesitation.

Nick nodded. "Hmm."

Miley bit her lip. She looked him up and down. This was the first time she'd really taken in his apperance. And boy, he wasn't half bad.

Miley smiled to herself. Looks like she'll be staying with Nick for the night.

"Hey," Miley whispered leaning over so her mouth hovered over Nick's ear, "Do you wanna go somewhere a little more...private?"

Nick knew perfectly well Miley was drunk. As much as he'd like to accept her offer, he knew he couldn't.

"Okay then," he said sharply.

"Your place," Miley said way too quickly. Miley didn't have a place of her own, or at least she didn't think she did.

Nick nodded slowly and got up from the bar. "Come on," he prompted. Miley followed him through the large, dancing crowds.

A young man grabbed Miley by the waist and began dancing with her suddenly. Miley didn't object, in fact she encourged him, grinding against this random stranger's leg. Nick turned around when he realized Miley was no longer following him. He sighed heavily as he realized what she was doing. Then suddenly, a random female came to Nick and attatched them both by the mouth. Nick was in shock at first, but after a few seconds he managed to push her off.

She stared at his bewildered face, shrugged, and walked away dancing. Nick thought she was a idiot, but realized she was nothing to compared to a grinding Miley. She had a large group of young men around her, admiring her dancing. She suddenly lay down on the floor and giggled. Nick knew he had to step in.

Nick pushed his way through the crowd of young men and pulled Miley up from the floor. She pouted playfully, "I was enjoying--"

"Just come with me," Nick said sternly. He could see the eyes of the men around him burn into him. He hated being the center of attention, so he dragged Miley out of the club before anything else could happen.

Nick grabbed hold of Miley's arm, "We're getting a cab." he told her softly, but still trying to get her to understand.

"Okay?" Miley shrugged, "Just as long as we get in somewhere..." She trailed her finger down his chest.

Nick rolled his eyes and pushed her away.

A cab soon came and Nick dragged Miley inside of it. He gave the driver directions to his house.

Miley tapped his shoulder. Nick turned around, "What?"

"You know, by now I'd normally be making out with a guy." Miley said.

"Yes well...I do things differently..." Nick lied tactfully; he had a plan (kinda) figured out.

"Saving it for the bedroom?" Miley giggled.

Nick looked at her, his eyes were wide, "How many guys do you sleep with?!" he asked her.

"As many as it takes," Miley told him.

"Takes to what?" Nick questioned.

"To keep a roof over my head." Miley replied.

"What? Why don't you just- "

Miley stopped him, "Enough talking," he told him. She hated talking about her life, it was her least favourite subject.

"Oh, okay," Nick nodded.

Miley blew onto her face, "Dang it's hot it here!" she gasped, as she took of her high heels.

Nick sat awkwardly next to her. He had no idea what to do when a drunk woman was undressing herself next to him in a back of a cab.

"Is it this left?" the driver asked. Nick could see the driver getting sneaky glances of Miley from the mirror.

"Yes," Nick nodded.

Nick turned to Miley, who was looking down at her breasts, "I swear, they're getting _smaller_." She said randomly.

"Miley!" Nick gasped, "How could you be so...?"

"Here," the driver said.

Nick threw the driver a twenty and dragged Miley outside with him.

"Aw, crap!" Miley muttered, "I left my shoes in the cab."

Nick looked her up and down, "You'll be fine. My apartment is only down- "

Miley jumped on his back, "Carry me." she ordered.

Nick was surprised, but sighed and carried her on his back anyway.

When they got to Nick's apartment building, he carried her into elevator, put her down, and typed in the code.

The elevator pulled them up to Nick's apartment. Miley stepped in first, then gasped as she looked around.

"You really live here?" he asked in shock.

"Yes," Nick nodded.

"So..." Miley grinned, "Are you gunna get to work?"

"No, actually, we're not," Nick said, "Obviously, you're wasted."

"Wow, you're smart."

Nick bit his tongue, "So of course having sex with you would be a big mistake."

"It would?" Miley asked, cocking her head to the side, "Am I...ugly?"

"No, no, no!" Nick said quickly, "You're...beautiful. It's just that I don't w_ant _to have sex with a stranger."

Miley continued to look around Nick's apartment. Nick ran his hand through his hair; he'd suddenly doubted trying to help her. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to get any information out of her when she was this drunk. He looked up, and Miley wasn't there.

"Miley?" he called out.

He suddenly heard the splash of his shower. He ran into his large bathroom to see Miley in the shower, fully clothed.

"What are you doing?!" He asked her.

"Testing your shower out," Miley giggled.

Nick couldn't help but laugh. She looked so stupid in his shower, with her long brown hair sticking to her, and her little black dress.

Miley stepped out and turned the shower off; she was soaking wet. She shook herself around, waving her wet hair everywhere. The water splashed all over Nick. He sighed and laughed.

"Ah! My make- up!" Miley gasped.

Her make- up was running down her face, but it didn't make her look ugly, just odd.

She grabbed a near- by towel and rubbed her face, clearing it of make- up. Even without her make- up, she still looked beautiful.

Miley walked out of the bathroom and continued to explore. She walked into the living room, and turned on the giant TV. Miley turned on a music channel, and put the volume on full blast. Nick had to grab the remote from her and turn it down.

"You need to keep it down!" Nick told her, "I have neighbours, you know."

Miley looked up at him and searched his face with her eyes, "You're really boring."

Nick didn't know how to reply to that. He couldn't think of anything. What was he supposed to say? He knew he wasn't the life of the party or anything, but was he really _boring_?

"Uh, anyone in there?" Miley asked Nick, waving her hand in front of his face.

Nick shook his head, discarding all of his negative thoughts, "Where do you live?" he asked her.

Miley ignored his question and wandered into the bedroom. Nick slowly followed her, and asked her again.

Miley lay down on Nick's giant bed, ignoring his question once again.

"Miley, why won't you tell me where you live? I need to know, so I can get you home." Nick explained.

"It's none of your buisness where I live!" Miley snapped, sitting up and staring Nick down.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me, how are you going to get home?" Nick asked her.

"I..." Miley sniffed, "I don't..." she sniffed again, "I don't have a home, okay?!"

Nick's mouth hung slightly open, but she pressed his jaw up when he realized how uncomfortable Miley looked.

"What do you mean?" He asked softly, gently sliding himself next to her.

Nick's whole plan on getting Miley home revolved around finding out where Miley lived, but now his plan was totally down the drain.

"I don't have a home." Miley mumbled, playing with her fingers, "I just sleep with guys a lot, and they...they let me stay at their house for a while. Like, a night or two. Then, I...I steal some money from them, leave, and buy clothes for my next night out, and then the...the 'cycle' continues."

Nick took all the information in, he know her honestly was because of her being drunk, it was clear she wouldn't tell this to anyone if she was sober.

"How can anyone live like that?" Nick asked in shock.

"Well, I've been doing it for the past year. Trust me, it isn't the best life." Miley answered his question with attitude.

"Why? Why don't you have a home...if you don't mind me asking?" Nick added quickly; even though he was curious and in a very awkward position, he still managed to be a gentleman.

Miley sniffed loudly, "My dad kicked me out," she replied honestly.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"He's an alchoholic," Miley whispered, quickly whiping a stray tear off her soft cheek.

"I'm sorry..." Nick tried to comfort her, but she carried on.

"My mom died seven years ago. Even since then my dad just relied on drinking to make everything better," Miley continued, even though every word was making her feel sick to the stomach, "About a year ago, he caught me smuggling some of his beer out of the house..." Miley hung her head, "He kicked me out."

Nick bit his lower lip. "I...I, um, I'm really sorry about that."

"I went to go and live with my aunt and uncle...But my uncle was killed by some guy, and my aunt commited suicide soon after he died because she loved him so much. They were really holy, you know? They believed in God and Jesus and Heaven and everything. Before they died they were always telling me to believe that Jesus was looking down on me, and if life got too hard, he'd send me a guaridan angel."

Nick's heart hung onto Miley's every word; how could someone go through that?

"How old are you, Miley?" he asked her.

"I'm twenty one," she replied, "How old are you?"

"Twenty three," Nick replied.

"You're such an old man," Miley giggled.

Nick smiled; seeing Miley smile after her very emotional speech made him slightly happy, too.

"Yes, I'm very old indeed."

Miley opened her mouth and yawned loudly, "I am _so _tired," she sighed, "It's been a long day today."

"I'm sure it has been," Nick smiled. "Hey, how about you sleep in this room tonight? I'll go in the guestroom."

Miley looked at Nick, "Are you sure? I mean, I could just...sleep on the floor?"

Nick laughed, "Why would I make you do that?"

Miley shrugged, "I don't know."

Nick found Miley one of his old shirts, "Here, wear this tonight instead of that dress."

Miley began to wriggle out of her little, damp black dress. Nick closed his eyes. Miley grabbed the t- shirt from his hands and slid it on.

"Can I look now?" Nick asked after a few moments of silence.

"Um, yeah." Miley yawned.

Nick opened his eyes, and saw Miley who had already snuggled into the covers. He smiled softly. He had no idea what to do with her now. But God, she was a vision. Nick found it hard to believe he'd even stumbled across someone this beautiful. And even better, he'd gotten the chance to help her.

Nick slowly creeped out of the bedroom, and switched the light off. He heard Miley's steady breathing and when he was sure she was asleep, he walked into the quest room.

He undressed himself and threw on some pyjamas. After that, he walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. His mind was a mess. What was he going to do with Miley? She had no home. She had no family. And she certainly didn't have enough money to buy herself somewhere to stay.

Nick climbed into the bed, trying to let his thoughts drift away. But, for someone like Nick, letting something so serious glide out of your mind was impossible. He twisted and turned all night; he knew he'd done the right thing helping Miley, but the question was, how was he going to help her?

Another thing that bothered him was Miley's wild behaviour. He'd only studied her for an hour last night, but it was obvious she was going to be a handful. Nick sighed and buried himself deeper into the covers. He refused to lose sleep over this.

If only he knew what was coming...


	2. Chapter 2

**Cute little chapter ;] dedicated to Lauren. (Lozboz). I love you girl. You pervert, you ;] & to Gemma. Who let me sleep with her whale (; And to all my lovely readers! I reached 1,000 followers today on twitter so that was pretty epic, haha. Just a filler type thing; kinda cute in my opinion :) really happy with the response for the first chapter. i mean, 8 reviews?! ;D Love you all. Review, please? Sorry for mistakes. **

Nick woke up the next morning to the sound of the TV playing softly in the background, and a loud smash coming from the kitchen. Before he could even comprehend what the noise was, another loud bang followed. This time, a female voice could be heard muttering, "Crap!"

Nick groaned and rolled over in his bed. He was tired and didn't want to get up, even if he house was being destroyed.

After a few minutes - and two crashes - later, Nick rolled out of bed and walked into the kitchen, where he was confronted by an abouslute mess. Miley stood in the center of it all; with flour dotted in her hair and an egg shell clinging to her - well Nick's - t-shirt.

"What did you do?!" Nick gasped, his eyes scanning the mess of a kitchen.

"I was trying to make breakfast..." Miley mumbled, playing with her fingers, "But it went wrong..."

"Obviously." Nick groaned, walking over to the toaster, he jumped as some burnt toast flew out and hit his nose.

Miley creased up laughing, "oh my God!" she cried, "It hit you right on the nose!" She clinged to her sides, and bent over because she was laughing so much.

"You think that's funny, huh?" Nick chuckled as he turned around and threw the burnt toast into the trash can.

Miley laughed, "Yes."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Miley, how many people were you planning to cook for?! There's at least enough to feed five here..."

"Well...I tried to make some pancakes but I had no idea how to make them, so I started looking for a cook book and then thought it'd been cool to make a cake..."

"A _cake_? For breakfast?" Nick asked her, shoving even more burnt toast into the trash.

"I know. Then I realized how stupid that idea was so I started to make toast...But then I dropped the bowl which I was stirring the ingredients for the pancakes in, and then I dropped all the eggs, and then I freaked out and dropped the toaster on the floor..." Miley mumbled.

Nick knew he should be angry. If this was anyone else, he'd be screaming at them right now. He didn't know if it was because of Miley's heartfelt talk last night, or something else, but he just couldn't make himself angry at her.

"It's...okay," Nick said, "Just don't ever make breakfast again."

Miley laughed, "No worries."

"Go and get a shower, Miley. I'll tidy this up." Nick began to wash the walls.

"Do you want me to help?" Miley asked.

"No it's okay. Go shower."

Miley stood there feeling really weird. Was he angry at her, was he annoyed? "Are you angry at me?" Miley asked him timidly.

"No," Nick sighed, "I'm just no so happy that my kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it."

"I'm sorry," Miley apologized, "I didn't mean to make this giant mess...I was trying to make you breakfast as a nice surprise..."

"It's fine, really. Thanks for trying, anyway."

Miley smiled and slid out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. She pulled off Nick's t-shirt and threw it on the floor. Miley turned the shower on, and let the warm water heat her up.

Miley couldn't remember the last time she'd ever stayed over at a guy's house and not left before 9 AM. She slept with them, took some money, and took off. It was a risky lifestyle, but somehow Miley managed to pull it off.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Nick was effortlessly cleaning the kitchen sides which were covered in some sort of unknown gloop. It _looked _like egg, but Nick wasn't feeling brave enough to smell it.

In the corner of his mind, Nick pictured Miley in the shower, but then shook his head. How could he be so...like a guy. He laughed mentally at his lameness, and threw some more burnt toast into the trash.

_What are you going to with her, Nick_? A tiny voice in the back of Nick's mind whispered.

Nick closed his eyes and sighed. What _was _he goin to do with her? He wanted to help her. He wanted to let her rebuild a new life from the shattered one in which she lived. He also knew she couldn't do this without someone like himself.

Lost in his thoughts, Nick absentmindedly continued to clean the kitchen.

Miley stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She wandered into Nick's bedroom and sat down on the bed and dried her hair off with the towel. Somehow, just by drying it with a towel, her hair hung in perfect, dry waves. She smiled at herself in the mirror.

Meanwhile, Nick heard the shower had stopped, and assumed it was okay to go out of the kitchen. It was a lot cleaner than before, but still wasn't perfect. Nick rubbed his eyes and ran his hand aimlessly through his curls. He yawned and walked into the living room. He crashed onto the couch, and watched the TV, which was playing some music which Miley had put on earlier that morning. After a few minutes, he began to wonder where Miley was and what she doing. It was a habit of Nick's to worry.

He got up, and walked into his bedroom. Miley wasn't there. He checked his guest room, but he wasn't there either. Nick's apartment was really big. And he knew Miley could get confused and wonder. Biting down on his lip, Nick wandered into the kitchen, only to find Miley - a naked Miley, to be exact - eating a bag of cookies.

She had her back to Nick, so he had a clear view of her ass. And her legs. And her back. Nick gulped, and gasped a little as Miley turned around to look at him. Her body was the kind you only see on the women in movies. It was just...perfect. She had curves in all the right places, and was just down right hot. Nick stared at her, his eyes travelled from her feet all the way up to her beautiful face.

"These cookies are good." Miley grinned, munching down on the chocolate goodness.

"Miley, where are your clothes?!" Nick asked her, still in shock.

Now Nick had the decency to look away. He turned his head to the side and ran his hand through his hair nervously. It was like Miley was a magnet, and Nick's eyes were being pulled to it.

"I don't have any," Miley pointed out, "And why are you looking over there?"

"Because I don't want to...Listen, just...Um, put that dress on you had on last night. We're going shopping." Nick let out a deep breath as he turned his back on her. It was a relief for her to be out of his view, but also a tiny dissapointment.

"What about shoes? I don't have any."

"We'll work something out." Nick told her.

"I don't like talking to your back, Nick." Miley sighed.

"And I don't like talking to a naked woman."

"Oh, is that why you're all red?" Miley laughed, "I thought something had happened. Haha, you're so red!"

Nick felt himself blush, and he realized his cheeks were a lot warmer than any other part of his body, "Just...don't walk around naked, Miley."

He walked towards his bedroom to get changed.

And Miley shurgged, and continued eating her cookies.

--

"Your car is like, seriously, the best car I've ever been in."

"Thanks," Nick laughed softly, and pressed his foot down, just to show off what his car was capable of.

Miley stared down at her feet, "I feel so weird wearing your sneakers."

"I know they're way too big, but they'll have to do."

After their previous awkward encounter, things had settled down to being totally normal and comfortable for Miley and Nick. Seeing as the air was pretty clear, Nick took this chance to ask Miley some questions about her life, and if he got the right answers, he could maybe help her find some family she never knew she had.

"So...Where'd you live, before you came to New York?" Nick asked casually.

"Tennessee," Miley answered.

"Oh, I thought I recognized your accent."

"I hate my voice," Miley confessed, "It's so rough and scratchy. Blah."

"No, it's a nice accent."

"Whatever," Miley shrugged.

Nick spoke again, "And your family. Did they live in Tennesse too?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Miley snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No, no, I'm just curious." Nick defended himself.

Miley sighed, and sunk down into the seat, "Yes. My Mamaw and Aunt Dolly lived there. But my Aunt Dolly moved away when I was 10, and I've never heard from her since. And my Mamaw lived on the farm with me and my dad after my mom died, and when my dad kicked me out, she seriously tried to beat him up." Miley stopped, wincing at the memory, "She moved away."

"Why didn't she take you with her?" Nick asked.

"I didn't want to go with her. She offered, but I said no."

"Why?"

"She said she wanted to move out of the country. Away from it all." Miley mumbled, "But I didn't want to leave the country. I hate planes."

"Couldn't leave on a bus or boat or something?" Nick questioned.

"Buses and boats and trains cost twice as much as the plane. I didn't want my grandma to pay all that. She was already struggling with money, seeing as my dad was an alchoholic and barely did any work on the farm..." Miley sunk deeper into the car seat, "So I lived with my aunt and uncle. The end. Didn't I already tell you all this?"

Nick nodded, "Well yeah. But you were drunk last night. I figured you'd only told me all that stuff because you weren't sober."

"I only told you because you're obviously someone I can trust," Miley said, sitting up in her seat.

"Well, I'm glad you see me in that way," Nick grinned.

Miley shurgged, "You're the only guy that hasn't tried to get into my pants. You're obviously a good guy."

Nick bit down on his lip, "Yeah"

"But you still owe me that cocktail," Miley giggled.

Nick laughed, "Oh yeah. Forgot about that."

A few moments later, Nick pulled up outside a large department store. Miley stared open mouthed, "Are you seriously taking me _here_?"

Nick looked at her in surprise, "What, not you're type of shopping?" Nick had no idea what kind of clothes girl liked best, but this department store was stocked full with designer brands, and if Miley didn't like that, what did she like?

"No no no! It's just that it's the like most expensive place ever."

Nick cocked his head to the side, "Is that a problem?"

"Well...I...I don't exactly have the money to pay for any of this. In fact, I...I have none at all."

"You don't think I'd expect you to pay, do you?" Nick asked her.

"Well yeah, I can't just expect you to pay like, I don't know, 50 dollars on something."

"50 dollars?" Nick scoffed, as he parked his Porsche up, "That's nothing."

Miley stared at him, trying to figure out why he was so...cool about everything. "That's a lot of money," she corrected him.

"Not to me it isn't," he grinned, taking off his seatbelt, and waited for Miley to do the same.

Miley looked down at her feet again, "I can't walk around in these. I'm going bare foot."

She kicked Nick's sneakers off her feet, and stepped out of the car. As soon as her dainty feet collided with the hard, cold ground, she gasped and ordered for Nick to carry her.

"Miley, I can't," Nick hissed, people were beginning to stare at them now.

"Please!" Miley begged, tip toeing over to him.

Nick sighed; she looked so...weird dressed in a little black party dress, with no shoes or make- up or anything. But she looked kinda beautiful. Sighing, Nick nodded his head, "Okay okay I'll carry you."

Miley squealed and jumped onto his back. She wasn't heavy at all. Nick tried his very best to ignore the dirty looks from passing people, but he couldn't help but feel awkward and uncomfortable. He carried her through the parking lot and into the department store. Miley abruptly jumped off of him and ran into Chanel. The sound of her bare feet smacking against the expensive marble floor of the designer store made the people who worked there turn their heads.

"Are these heels the best heels you've ever seen or what?!" Miley asked excitedly, grabbing a pair of expensive black heels and waving them in the air.

Nick awkwardly followed her into the store, "Yes Miley, they're great...but put them down."

"Can I help you?" a woman in her late twenties smiled as she walked over to Miley and Nick; her voice showed a pinch of annoyance.

"Yes please," Nick smiled, "We need shoes. And clothes."

"Shit!" Miley gasped loudly, making Nick cringe, "Have you seen the price on these things?!"

The lady narrowed her eyes at Miley, "I'm sorry, but that language is unexceptable. Sir, could you please control your girlfriend for a moment?"

"No, she's not my girlfriend..." Nick couldn't finish his sentence, because the woman was following Miley to the dress section.

"Hm...I wonder what it'd look like on me," Miley pondered, holding a deep red dress in front of her.

Nick got a flash image of miley's perfect body slipping into that red dress. He bit down on his lip, trying to discard the image.

"That dress is 200 dollars," the lady chimed, "A bargain."

"Fuck that!" Miley gasped, "We're not paying 200 dollars for a freakin' dress."

The lady, who was named Claire, which Nick had found out after reading her name tag, spoke up "Well I'm sure that's an impossible price for you. It seems like you can't even afford shoes."

Miley turned to her, resting one hand on her waist, "That's a pretty risky comment from someone who I could easily get fired."

Nick stepped inbetween them, "We'll buy the dress. And the shoes."

"We will?" Miley asked.

"Yes."

Claire pressed her lips together and grabbed the dress from Miley, "What size do you take?"

"Depends. 8 or 10." **(a/n: i don't know how sizes are measured outside of the UK, but 8 and/or 10 are quite small, but just the right size if you get what i mean :])**

"What size shoe?"

"5."

claire nodded, and walked behind the desk and prepared everything for Miley.

When she left, Miley burst into laughter, "Oh my God, what a bitch."

"shhh!" Nick said, but he started to laugh as well.

Miley shrugged, "Whatever, she was a bitch."

-

Five hours, 800 dollars and six bitch fights with shop assistants later, Miley and Nick were cramped inside Nick's shiny Porsche; the countless number of bags overflowing in the back seats of the car made it hard to move, let alone drive a car.

Miley sat with a bag on her lap, "Thank you for buying me all this," she thanked Nick gratefully; no one had ever spent this much money on her.

Smiling, Nick replied, "You're welcome." His wallet was empty, as he didn't carry too much money around anyway; he'd had to use his card to pay for some of the things.

"Really, no one has ever done that for me. Especially someone who hardly knows me."

"Well, Miley, I'm not trying to be mean here, but it's obvious you've got pretty much nothing in your life right now..." Nick trailed off, afriad he'd come across to harsh and mean. That was his last intention, of course. He pressed his foot down and turned his head slightly to scan Miley's face, to see if it showed any hurt or anger. Surprisingly, it didn't.

"You're right," Miley sighed, running her fingers aimlessly through her long brown hair, "My life sucks."

Nick had no idea how to respond. He sat awkwardly, trying to think of something comforting to say. "Things can only get better" he finally said.

"I suppose," Miley laughed, "Heck, I've just had the biggest shopping spree of my life. Things are better already."

"So...do you think, maybe, you could contact your Mamaw or Aunt Dolly?" Nick asked suddenly.

Miley looked at him confused. Her forehead wrinkled, "Why?" she asked.

"For you to know you have family that will care for you, Miley," Nick replied.

"I have no idea how to get in touch with them," Miley whispered, "But I don't need someone to care for me, I'm fine on my own."

Nick was surprised at her independence. He was shocked at how strong willed she was. How tough things must've been for her the past year, but she'd somehow got through it.

"You can't go back to sleeping with guys to earn a living, Miley. You need a real job. A real home. A real family." Nick poined out.

"Well I don't have any of those things!" Miley snapped, "And who are you? My father? I can make my own choices. It has nothing to do with you if I decide I want to live life that way!"

"But do you _want _to live like that again?"

"No, of course not, doofus," Miley said, rolling her eyes, "Who would want to?"

"No one I suppose."

Silence washed upon them, words couldn't be found for either of them. The atmoshphere was awkward.

-

After a while, Nick pulled up outside of his apartment. Miley carried 3 small bags while Nick was forced to carry the rest. He stumbled into the elevator after locking his car, and awkwardly pressed in the code for his penthouse.

"You know, it'd be nice if you actually carried some of _your _stuff," Nick groaned, as his back began to ache from the weight.

"You're a guy. You're supposed to carry heavy things. It what you do," Miley laughed, before happily dancing into his penthouse.

She sat on the couch and placed the 3 bags next to her. Nick followed her in, but just when he was about to get in, one of the bags got stuck in the elevator doors.

"Shit!" Nick gasped, dropping the rest of his load and trying to pull the Gucci bag from the elevator.

Miley rushed over and helped him, both of them pulling as hard as possible.

"I can't lose these Gucci heels." Miley said.

"I can't lose 90 dollars," Nick replied.

After a lot of pulling, the bag broke free and rocketed across the room. However, following the impact, Nick fell back onto the floor, and Miley soon followed him. She landed awkwardly, half on top of him. For a moment, Nick didn't breathe. He was scared her reaction would be something like 'Get off me right now!'. But in fact, Miley burst out laughing, throwing her head back and gently smacking his chest.

Nick laughed too; he got up and offered her his hand. She accepted it, still laughing. Unexpectedly, Miley pulled him down again, so he landed on top of her.

Miley's bubbly laugh echoed around the whole apartment, Nick rested himself up on the palms of his hands so he wouldn't crush her. He couldn't help but laugh at how awkward and funny the moment was. Nick pulled himself up, "I'm not helping you up this time."

Miley slowly stopped laughing, and got up also. "That was epic."


	3. Chapter 3

"What does this one look like?" Miley asked, smiling, as she twirled around in her new designer jeans and t-shirt; the shirt cling to her figure perfectly, showing off her curves and emphasizing her chest and waist.

Nick lay down on his bed and yawned; Miley had been putting on a 'fashion show' for almost 2 hours and he was becoming dangerously bored. It wasn't that Miley wasn't fun to look at; in fact as rude as it seems, if Miley wasn't as sexy as she was, Nick probably would've made an excuse to leave a long time ago.

"It looks amazing...Just like the rest," he said honestly, watching her as she ran her hands down her sides.

She smiled, turned around and sat the foot of the bed, "That's the same answer you've given me for like, every time I've asked you."

Nick sat up and raised an eyebrow, "Well, what do you want me to say?"

"I don't know," Miley laughed, tilting her head back and staring at the ceiling, "I'm hungry," she declared.

"Go and get something to eat?" Nick suggested, "The kitchen's full of stuff."

Miley nodded and made her way to the kitchen, while Nick smiled softly and gathered up the energy to follow her.

He found her rummaging through the cupboards. She began to reach for something on the top self, but her arm wasn't long enough to grab it. She stood on her tip-topes, but it didn't make much difference because of her petite figure. Nick watched, a part of him wanted to help her, but the other part of him wanted to watch how she would handle the situation; would she call for his help, or would she get it herself?

Nick was slightly surprised when Miley climbed onto the counter and jumped for what she was reaching for; she gracefully caught it and landed on her feet on the floor. She smiled triumphantly, and turned around to walk out. She jumped when she saw Nick leaning against the doorframe.

"Do you have an obsession with watching people in the kitchen?" Miley joked, brushing past him, digging into the yoghurt.

Nick laughed gently, "Perhaps I do."

"You should see someone about that," Miley winked, "It seems pretty serious."

Nick laughed again and rolled his eyes, "Will do."

Miley flung herself on the sofa; it was getting pretty late now, almost 9 o'clock. "Let's watch a movie," Miley grinned, "You have millions of DVDs," she said, nodding her head towards the giant pile of DVDs next to the giant TV.

"They're not all mine, actually," Nick admitted, "A lot of them belong to my brother...He sometimes lets me watch them, but when I go to give him them back, he just says I can keep them."

"Your brother must be pretty awesome then," Miley said.

Nick smiled and sat next to her, "Oh, he is. So are my two other brothers."

Miley piled in another spoonful of yoghurt, and placed in into her mouth. However, a large blob of yoghurt stained the corner of her mouth; she couldn't feel it, but Nick certainly couldn't help noticing it.

"Do you have a big family?" Miley asked.

"Uh, Miley..." Nick said, smirking slightly, "You have a little..." Nick pointed to the corner of his own mouth, Miley used her own hand to rub that part of her face, but she rubbed the wrong side.

"No, the other side," Nick directed her. Miley placed her hand too far away from the blob of yoghurt which was now sliding slowly but surely down her face, leaving a slightly slimy trail.

Nick sighed, and used the back of his hand to wipe the mess from her mouth. Touching her skin for the first time felt weird to him; it was soft, but sort of rough. It made some kind of current course through his veins, and made his head feel light, it affected him in an amazing way, but it ended all too soon as he pulled his hand away and placed it by his side.

An awkward silence filled the air, making it impossible to say or do anything. Nick bit his lip, why did he have to make everything awkward? He didn't even _like _her, perhaps it was just...Well, he hadn't really had a girlfriend in quite a long time: almost 9 months. His last break up had been pretty hard; his girlfriend had dumped him because, apparently he was too into his work, 'a workaholic' she had called it. Nick knew he wasn't in love with her, he had pretty strong feelings for her, but it wasn't love and probably never would be. But it was hard for him, it was very hard for him to lose her, she was his company when he got home on a night, someone to talk to when things just got all too much – they dated for almost a year.

"How adorably cliché," Miley giggled, "Now can we watch a movie now?"

Nick smiled wide; how could she just, brush something like that off? He nodded automatically though, "What movie?"

Miley shrugged, "What's your favourite move?"

"Probably Juno...What about you?" Nick asked.

"I don't have one. I don't get time to watch TV; I used to go the movies sometimes when I was younger...It was a real treat going to the movies back in Tennessee."

"Your home," Nick said simply, and Miley nodded.

"I miss that place a lot," she sighed, "But I've told myself I'm not going back...At least not while my dad's still living there."

"That's it!" Nick cried, "You can go back to Tennessee! That way, you can ask your dad about family you may not know about, or maybe your dad has rebuilt his life? Maybe you could get along with him again, maybe you could live in Tennessee again?"

Miley sighed and shook her head, "If you knew my life, you'd know that everything you just said is impossible."

Sighing, Nick settled down in the sofa next to her again, "Why don't you _try _and get in touch with your Aunt or Mamaw?"

"Because I wouldn't know where to look," Miley responded in a sad tone, "God has chosen this path for me; he has decided I'll have to get through on my own. Somehow, he's put you onto my path."

Nick smiled softly, taking in her words, slightly fascinated by her belief in God and how he has chosen a certain path for her.

"Of course, if I had chosen where life was going to lead me, I would've chosen the easiest, smoothest path of them all, but God has decided that I have to go through a rough path with many bumps and disappointments, but I've learned that the life I live in makes me stronger and stronger everyday; eventually, something amazing will happen to me. I don't know when and I don't know how, but God will send me a guardian angel, and he or she will help me through everything. So, now I know why he chose this life for me. Because one day, I'm going to get what I want." Miley explained, leaving Nick speechless.

"Do you still want to watch a movie?" was Nick's embarrassing reply.

He blushed gently, and Miley giggled, "Sure. Let's watch Juno."

Nick put the DVD in, and Miley made him turn the lights off 'to get that cinematic feel'. He sat down on the couch next to her.

Half way through the movie, Nick turned to look at Miley, only to find her fast asleep. He sighed and decided to watch the rest of the movie before putting her into bed. About 10 minutes later, she began to say something in her sleep. It wasn't until she began moving quite violently that Nick noticed. He watched her, getting worried as she began to murmur louder, like she was crying for help in a dream.

After a few minutes, she stopped stirring and regained her peaceful sleeping face. Relieved, Nick stood up, scooped up Miley, and began to walk her into the bedroom.

While walking to his bedroom however, he knocked Miley's head against the doorframe, causing her to wake up and groan in pain.

"You could've been a little gentler," she groaned, holding onto her head, "I think you just killed all my brain cells."

"What brain cells?" Nick joked, causing Miley to give him a sharp, scary death glare, "I'm kidding. I'm really sorry, I wasn't being careful enough. Now go back to sleep."

"How am I supposed to go to sleep when there's a giant hole forming in my head?!" Miley asked with attitude, jumping down from Nick's arms; she had to admit, being in his arms like that felt, well...would she be going too far if she said it felt sort of like...home?

"Now you're just exaggerating," Nick chuckled, watching her as she climbed into Nick's king sized bed, "Aren't you putting any pyjamas on?" he questioned, "It'll be awfully uncomfortable sleeping in your clothes."

"I can do what I want," Miley mumbled as she snuggled down into the comfy duvet.

Sighing, Nick turned off the light and murmured, "Goodnight Miley," before leaving to sleep in the guest room again.

He laughed a little while he undressed himself; how Miley had suddenly bounced into his life...How she'd just kind of slotted in. He went to clean himself up in the bathroom, before plunging on his bed and going into a deep sleep.

*

"SHIT." Nick hissed as he woke up, staring at his watch, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

He pounded out of bed, and ran into his bedroom, where Miley was lying sound asleep in bed. He opened up his closet and quickly began to dig for something to wear for work – he'd totally forgot about work, Miley had been on his mind all weekend...

"Shit!" he hissed again as he saw the time on the clock: 7:52. He was supposed to be at work almost an hour ago.

Nick had never been late for work his whole life – well, how could he be late to his own company? Yes, that's right. Nick Gray is a successful business man with millions in the bank. He owned a very rich and large company named Gray Bros., his two older brothers – Kevin and Joe – had once worked there (hence the name Gray _Bros._), but Kevin, the oldest of the three brothers, married 3 years after taking over the company from his father, to a beautiful young woman named Danielle. Even though he was pretty young, he decided he wanted to settle down and start a family; he now has a beautiful 2-year-old boy named Brandon.

Next, Joe took over the company, but Joe was and is, quite frankly, a walking disaster. He tried really hard with the company, but when he was in charge everything just seemed to all out of place instead of falling in. He hired and fired all the wrong people, and was a party animal a heart so he usually stayed out clubbing all night that sorting out the company.

Eventually, Joe was forced to quit and Nick took over, at a very young age to be the boss of a huge company. Nick was only 19 years old, and at first people didn't think he was right for the job – with him being so young and what not. But after working at Gray Bros. for just a week, people began trusting him and obeying him more than any other boss they'd had before. On his 20th birthday, the whole company threw him a huge party, with his absolutely loathed; one of the things Nick hates is attention, all eyes on him. After working for the company for 3 years, he met his first serious girlfriend, Selena.

She had come for a job interview, and just seemed perfect for the Nick, but not the company. She didn't know a thing about press, Math, or hard work; she'd come from a rich family like Nick, but hadn't worked to get all her millions, she received it all from her father, mother, step-farther and step-mother.

Nick didn't give Selena the job but they began dating and things got pretty serious. They dated for 9 months, but Selena finally called it quits because she believed Nick was a 'workaholic'. Now, the most precious thing Nick has is his company – and his family, of course.

"Nick?" Miley yawned, sitting up in bed, fully clothed, Nick noticed with a small chuckle.

Sighing, Nick turned to face her, "I'm late for work," he said.

"Don't go," Miley suggested, stepping out of bed.

"What?" Nick asked in disbelief.

"Don't go," Miley repeated, "How late are you?"

"Um..." Nick checked his watch, "A little over an hour." He confessed shyly.

"Phone in and say you're sick or something, it works like a charm," Miley told him.

"And you would know because...?" Nick pressed, raising an eyebrow.

"Nick, I've been a million people phone in sick for work. It works every time. Well, it doesn't work so much if you're always phoning in sick, but you seem like the kinda guy who hasn't missed a day's work in his life. So go on, don't go in."

Surprised, Nick bit his lip, "No, I-I couldn't...I'd feel too guilty."

Miley rolled her eyes, "Of course you would."

Nick looked around for his phone, before finally finding it in his pyjama pocket. He dialled his works' number, until someone picked up.

"Gray Bros., Taylor speaking, how can I help you?" a young woman said in a sweet, sugar coated voice down the line.

"Hey Taylor, um, it's Nick..." Nick said slowly, scared of reaction.

"Nick, where are you?!" Taylor asked, "We've tried calling you several times!"

"Sorry...I slept in..." he sighed and looked up at Miley, who was watching him as he spoke, "I have to take care of something. I'll have to take the day off...You guys can hold out without me right?"

"Of course," Taylor said, confused, "No problem."

"Okay, bye," Nick said.

"Bye," Taylor echoed, and hung up.

Nick shoved his phone back into his pocket, "Well...That was easier than I thought."

"You've never had a day off work, have you?" Miley asked him quizzically.

"Nope," Nick sighed, itching the back of his neck awkwardly.

Miley sprung out of bed, "So, what do you want to do today?"

"I want to go to work," Nick confessed quietly.

"Oh come on, don't be such a bore. Why don't we go somewhere? The park, perhaps?" Miley offered.

"No!" Nick said loudly, "We're not doing anything today."

"Then why did you take the day off? To sit around and do nothing? Doofus" Miley said with a hand on her hip.

"For you information," Nick began in a loud, angry voice, "I...I would really like to go somewhere with you...it's just I have never missed work before in my life, never mind lie about being sick just to get a day off."

Miley grinned, "Goody two shoes," he giggled.

Nick rolled his eyes, "So what do you want to do?"

"Anything...Maybe we should go somewhere where you don't have to pay. Like a park."

"The park is boring," Nick said, "There's a lot of better places we can go. And I'd be more than happy to pay for something we will enjoy than go somewhere for free that'll have us bored out of our minds."

"I won't be bored" Miley smiled, "And I'd feel guilty if I made you pay for something else for me. You bought me all those clothes yesterday, how could I expect you to pay for something else?"

Nick sighed, "Miley, I don't know exactly how to say this, but..."

"Oh no," Miley gasped, "We spent all your money yesterday didn't we?! Oh my God, I'm so sorry! You just kept buying and buying...I thought you were some kind of rich tycoon!"

"That's the thing," Nick said, running his fingers through his messy curls, "I am."

Miley raised an eyebrow, "Don't mess with me, Nick."

"I'm not messing with you, I'm telling the truth. I'm rich," he cringed at the last word.

Nick was afraid, confessing to Miley about his wealth might scare her off, or make her think differently of him; it did with every other girl. Once he told someone he was very rich, they'd try and suck up to him in as many ways possible. But Miley's reaction startled him, but it made him very happy.

"Well, good for you," Miley shrugged.

"Wait – you're not bothered that I own a company, and have...a lot of money?" Nick questioned.

"No. I mean, yeah, it's pretty cool and everything, but you're still a shy guy with a big heart who is crazy enough to take me under his wing, aren't you?" Miley smiled.

Nick smiled wide, "Yeah, I guess I am."

*

Later that day, around 6 PM, Nick had decided to take a nap on the couch. The sound of his apartment's buzzing sound woke him up. He yawned and walked over to the door, opened it to reveal his older brother, Joe.

"Hey, bro!" Joe grinned, "Thought I'd come check up on you."

"You don't have to make excuses, Joe," Nick laughed, "If you want to lend some money, go ahead."

Joe had defiantly got the short end of the stick; he lived in a shabby apartment in down town New York, and had an on/off relationship with a beautiful young girl called Demi. It was clear they were in love with each other, but neither would admit it.

"Whoa!" Joe said, waving his hands in front of him, "Who said I couldn't visit my baby brother without wanting to borrow some money, hey?"

"No one," Nick smiled softly, "It's just...I took the day off work today because I'm feeling a little...sick. I don't want you to catch the virus..."

"You're such a bad liar," Joe laughed loudly, "Seriously, bro, you need to take lying classes."

Nick began to get worried; no one except him knew Miley was, well, kinda living with him. If Joe found out...

Lost in his thoughts, Nick failed to see that Joe had already pushed by his brother and into his apartment. Worried, Nick followed after him, silently praying Joe wouldn't find Miley, or vice versa.

"Dude, every time I come here it just gets better and better. You're such a lucky man," Joe laughed.

"So...how are things with Demi?" Nick asked shakily, trying to make easy conversation.

Joe smiled, "We went on a date last night she come back to my place. Dude, I know it's wrong to say this but the sex was fucking amazing."

Nick rolled his eyes, "You're totally in love with her man."

Joe smiled dreamily, "I know, right?"

Joe and Demi could easily admit – or even gush or brag – they were in love with each other to different people, but never to each other.

"What about you?" Joe asked, grinning, "Have you had any luck with the ladies recently?"

Nick thought of Miley for a second, but shook the thought from his mind.

"No, not really," Nick confessed.

"Dude, I bet you haven't shagged a girl since you broke up with Selena," Joe sighed, "You need to get back in the game!"

"Unlike you, Joe, I want to have sex with someone I _love_, not some random girl who hit on me in a club," Nick explained.

"You're so old fashioned," Joe smirked, "Seriously, you're like a chick when you're talking about being in love or whatever."

At that moment, Miley emerged from the kitchen – naked.

Nick's heart stopped; or beat so fast it felt like it stopped, anyway. How would he explain this? What was he going to say?!

"Hi there," Miley said, smiling at Joe; who was staring at her like a kid in a candy store.

"Miley," Nick hissed through the corner of his mouth, "What have I told you about walking around naked?!"

Nick had to admit it – he was the hottest girl he'd ever seen in his life, and here she was, walking around his house completely naked.

"W-who's that?" Joe finally managed to say, his eyes not moving away from the goddess in front of him.

"I can explain..." Nick began, "Well actually, I don't think I can."

"I'm Miley," Miley walked over to Joe and took shook his hand, "What's your name?"

"Uh..." Joe said, slightly drooling, "I'm...uh...um..."

"Um..." Nick shook his head, escaping from the spell Miley had cast on them, "That's Joe, my brother."

"Oh, are you the one that gives Nick all those DVDs?" Miley asked sweetly, winking at him.

Nick stepped in-between them, "Joe, I can explain why there's a naked woman walking around my house...Or I can try."


	4. Chapter 4

"I met Miley in a club on Friday night," Nick explained to Joe; Miley at next to Nick, while Joe sat opposite them, "Everyone kept telling me to take a break from work and enjoy myself so I did...And then I seen her coming out of the ladies totally wasted, she sat next to me at the bar and ordered another drink...I knew if she had another drink she'd be so wasted she wouldn't remember her own name, so I took the drink off her and took her home with me."

"Just like that?" Joe questioned with a raised eyebrow, "You just...took her home?"

"Yes," Nick sighed, hanging his head, "I didn't think it through, I know. But Mom and Dad always told us to help others in need. If you knew about Miley's life, you'd help her out too."

Joe ran his fingers through his hair, "Wow, little bro, I never expected you to do something as...spontaneous as this." Joe admitted.

"Neither did I!" Nick agreed, "But it just...happened. I wanted to help, and so I did."

"So is Miley like...living with you now?" Joe questioned, glancing at Miley briefly before looking at Nick again.

"I...Yes, I suppose she is." Nick concluded.

Joe let out a loud sigh, "Well, I wish you the best of luck, Miley. I know what it's like to get the short end of the stick...Hey, just look at me and Nick," Joe winked playfully.

Miley giggled, "Oh Joe, you're so funny," she cooed.

"And feel free to drop by at my apartment if you're feeling lonely." Joe grinned, "Maybe you could get to know Demi."

"That'd be a great idea!" Nick smiled, "Demi's a great girl Miley."

Miley bit her lip and smiled, "I'd love to meet her."

Joe finally stood up, and smiled down at his little brother, "Well, I guess I'll have to leave you now. Better go and get some food for tonight."

"Tell Demi I said hi," Nick smiled softly.

Joe nodded, "Will do. See you guys later." Joe headed towards the door, and Nick casually got up and followed him.

"Don't tell anyone about...this, please," Nick requested quietly as they got to the door, "I _will _eventually tell someone...it's just now I don't know how I'm going to handle it."

"Can I tell Demi?" Joe asked, "You said you'd want Miley to meet her."

Nick bit down on his lip, "Yeah, tell Demi. But make sure no one else finds out, okay?"

Joe nodded, "Sure thing, bro."

Nick smiled gently as Joe exited his apartment.

Miley and Nick spent the rest of the evening talking; their conversation started as soon as Joe left. Miley had commented on how sweet Joe was, and Nick told her that he had to go to work tomorrow, so it was a possibility she would be spending the day with Demi.

"Don't you trust me to be on my own while you're at work?" Miley giggled, poking Nick playing in the ribs with her foot.

"No it's not like that," he chuckled, "I just want someone to take care of you while I'm gone. Don't take it personally, I just think that Demi will help you get to know this part of New York and what not, I'm sure you're going to be close friends with her. Maybe she will introduce you to some of her friends."

Miley shrugged and began to play with her hair, "Can't I just come to work with you?"

"What? No, no way. I'm sorry, but no."

"Why not?" Miley asked defensively, "You said you own a million dollar business, surely I won't affect anything be joining you for a day?"

"I have to work 24/7 when I'm there, we wouldn't have time to talk or anything," Nick explained.

"We don't need to talk, I could make friends with the people who work there," Miley suggested.

Nick laughed at her childish suggestion, "That wouldn't work. I hire them to work for me, not to talk to you."

Miley let out a sad sigh, "Okay."

"Don't you want to meet Demi?" Nick asked her, "Trust me, she's an amazing girl."

"Yes, I want to meet her, it just feels awkward...I mean, I've known you for 3 days, and well..." Miley bit her lip. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt very...comfortable with Nick; very safe and warm, while the past 12 months of her life had been full of people who just want her for a quick fuck, or something. Nick didn't want her body however, he wanted to help _her, _he wanted to help her find her family again, help her rebuild her life. It wasn't that she wanted to be with him every minute of the day, she just wanted the security he gave her...

"What is it?" Nick pressed, raising an eyebrow, "I know for a fact you're not a shy girl."

Miley laughed a little, "No it's not that I'm shy...I really want to meet her, but she might not like me, we might spend the whole day hating each other..."

"I'm sure Joe will be there," Nick pointed out, "I'm sure he'll smooth out any bumps."

"What time do you get in from work?" Miley asked Nick.

"Um, on an average day, around 6 PM."

I can handle that, Miley thought to herself. It's not like she _needs _to have Nick around, she can easily last a few hours without him.

"Okay," Miley said slowly, curling her hair around her pinky finger, "How old is Demi?"

"Twenty five," Nick replied, "Don't worry Miley, you'll get along great with her."

"I know I'm sure I will," Miley nodded.

The next morning, Nick got up and got a quick shower; after getting dressed he went into his bedroom to wake Miley up. He gently shook her and said, "Miley, time to wake up." Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times, trying to wake up properly. She sat up and glanced at Nick, who smiled softly at her. She smiled too, but it soon faded when she seen the time.

"Why did you wake me up this early?" she groaned, staring at the clock that read 6:30 AM.

"Because you're going out with Demi today, remember?" Nick said, trying to refresh her memory.

Miley pulled the covers over her head and made exaggerated snoring noises. Nick rolled his eyes and pulled the covers from her head, "Come on, Miley. You're not a baby, it's time to get up. Demi's gunna be here in half an hour."

Miley's eyes widened, "What am I gunna wear?" she asked, jumping out of bed and into Nick's closet (he'd shoved all her clothes in his closet).

"Well, I'll just be in here," Nick said, and walked into the kitchen and made himself some toast.

Miley decided to wear a sweet floral top with some light leggings and a pair of mid-length heels. After looking at herself in the mirror and confirming she looked good, she wondered into the kitchen to get Nick's opinion. But when she walked out of the bedroom, Nick was standing in his living room, talking to a beautiful young woman with dyed black hair. She was wearing a designer t-shirt with some tight ripped jeans and huge black heels.

"Oh, here's Miley," Nick said to her.

She turned around, smiled brightly at Miley. "Hey," she grinned, "I'm Demi." Demi walked over to Miley—who was standing awkwardly a few metres away from Nick and Demi—and gave her a hug. Miley hugged back, and saw Nick smiling at them both; he was obviously happy they were getting along.

Nick cleared his throat, "Well," he said, "It's time I got to work."

"Yeah, we better set off now Miley. I thought we'd so some shopping. Oh, have you had your breakfast yet? Well, I'll take you to Starbucks and we can grab some coffee and a bite to eat. Let's go!" Demi smiled at Miley and lead the way out of Nick's apartment.

Nick waved goodbye to Miley and Demi and drove off into the busy center of New York. Demi and Miley headed straight to Starbucks, where they talked and got to know each other, before heading to a mall. Demi bought a lot of things and while Miley said she didn't want anything—but totally fell for a beautiful limited addition Donna Karen dress. It was deep, deep red, reached just above her knees and made her figure look totally amazing.

"Oh my God, Miley," Demi had gasped, "You look so hot and amazing and wow."

Miley had a lot of fun with Demi. She was very talkative and funny. After a long, tiring but super fun day, Demi pulled up outside of Nick's apartment. It was a little after 7 o'clock.

Demi looked at Miley, she looked suddenly serious and for a moment it worried Miley, "How long is Nick letting you live with him?" she asked.

Miley gulped, unsure of what to say, "I-I don't know," she admitted, "He's such a sweet guy, you know? I know letting me live with him is such a sweet thing to do and I am planning on paying him back. But I don't know how long I'll be staying. I know it sounds terrible, but I want to stay for...well, quite a while. I've only lived here for a few days but it kinda feels like home..." Miley trailed off, realizing she was jabbering.

Demi smiled softly, "You're right, he is a sweet guy. No, scratch that, he's an amazing guy. Not very open or talkative, and very sensitive, but amazing all the same. What he's done for you is beyond amazing, Miley, and I'm glad you realized that."

Miley nodded, "Yeah."

She said her goodbyes to Demi, knowing she had made a good friend. She went into Nick's apartment and found him on his laptop; brow knitted, mouth tight. He didn't even notice her come in. Miley sneaked up behind and yelled "BOO!" really loud. Nick jumped and always dropped his laptop on the floor.

He laughed after the shock subsided, "You scared me."

Miley giggled and sat down next to him, "What are you doing?" she asked with interest.

"Oh, just some things for work. How was your day?" Nick asked.

"It was great!" Miley grinned, "I really like Demi."

"I knew you would," Nick grinned.

After a nice chat they decided to watch a movie. And as soon as the credits began to roll, Nick could see that this was becoming a routine. Miley was living with him now; every night they watched a movie after having a chat about each other's day. As he turned his head to face her, he felt like something was gently tugging on his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**OH MY GOD GUYS. I know it's been sooo long since I last updated and I am so unbelievably sorry. I had such bad writers block and I thought I'd just give up on this story all together, I just had no passion for it anymore. However I just wrote this tonight on a whim. It has not been edited or beta'd or anything. I would really ****appreciate reviews to know if anyone still reads this story! But haha yeah hope you guys like it and once again SORRY.**

"Nick? Nick, you awake? Nick?"

Nick awoke startled to the sound of Miley's voice hovering about him; it was around 1 o'clock in the morning and for the life of him he could not understand why she was awake at this time. He sat up abruptly, his mind racing. He thought instantly that something bad had happened, like a fire or there was a burglar trying to steal his possessions. But the look on Miley's face made it instantly clear that there was nothing wrong with his apartment or his possessions—there was something wrong with _her_.

Her soft blue eyes were shining with tears threatening to spill over. She was stood over his bed with her arms shyly by her sides. She looked almost like a lost child seeking help.

Nick, who considering the early hour had woken up instantly, asked her what was wrong.

"I had a nightmare," she sniffed.

Nick bit his lip softly; her lip quivered and he was afraid she would start crying again. HE moved up a little and patted the space next to him. She sat down obediently and looked at him with puppy dog like eyes that were filled with emotions that Nick could not understand or comprehend.

"My mum..." Miley began, and suddenly a single tear trickled down her face. She wiped it away quickly.

Nick panicked. He had never been in this type of situation before; the only comparison he could make was possibly the few times his little brother Frankie had made his way into his bedroom complaining of a scary nightmare he had had, seeking comfort. However Frankie had not had a traumatic life and his nightmares were probably about monsters and ghouls, _not _about his disturbing life circumstances.

Nick pulled up the covers and beckoned her to join him in his huge bed. She climbed in and snuggled up to him, her tears falling on his vest. Awkwardly he wrapped his arms around her, hoping it would make her feel more comfortable. She snuggled up closer to him and after she was done sobbing, began tracing patterns into his chest. He was slightly shocked at the sudden close proximity between them both but he knew Miley thought nothing of it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked after a few minutes in silence.

Miley was quiet for a few moments, as if contemplating the idea. Finally, she decided on an answer, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Look," Nick began, "I know I'm not some therapist and I haven't been through half as much as you have, but if you tell me and get things off your chest then it will make you feel better I promise."

Miley sighed and looked up at him; her brown hair fell to one side and her eyes were wide and somewhat innocent. She looked stunning and it was enough to take Nick's breath away. "I've had the same nightmare for a while," she began softly, her eyes suddenly avoiding his, "It starts and I'm in Tennesee with my mom and dad and we're all happy and smiling and everything's perfect. And then I go out onto the horses and ride in the fields behind our farm but suddenly I get so deep into the field and everything goes black and I can't see anything. And I start calling for my mom but she doesn't answer or come to me, so I call for my dad but he just walks straight past me as if I don't exist. Suddenly there's faces all around me, laughing at me, looking down on me, and I start crying but that makes them laugh more. No one feels sorry for me, no one understands. And then suddenly I'm all alone again, and I don't even shout for anyone because I know no one will come. I realize I have no one. Absolutely no one;" her eyes were now full of tears and they spilled over tremendously as her voice broke, "No one." She added with a hurt tone.

Nick, who was shocked at the sudden realization that Miley was probably more messed up than he had first assumed, wiped her tears away with his thumbs softly and pulled her gently into his chest.

He rubbed her back gently and told her that he would care for her and that she didn't have no one, she had him. This made her smile and he was glad. It seemed so stupid how someone could have so little to live for yet still be able to smile at be cheerful. At first he was shocked to see her so sad and scared, but someone who had been through so much definitely deserved to have moments like this.

His heart swelled as her tears subsided and she whispered a soft "Thank you" into his chest. He told her it was okay.

Miley looked up at him, "are you crying?" she asked with a playful smile.

"What? No!" Nick argued quickly, although he couldn't help but smile too as his eyes blurred slightly with sympathy tears. He pushed her hair behind her eyes before telling her defiantly, "I'm going to help you Miley. I'm going to fix you. Don't ever think you have no one, okay? Because you have me. You have Nick."

She fell asleep cuddled into him that night.

In a way, that was the night that changed everything.


	6. Chapter 6

Nick sat at his work desk, trying and failing to process the information from the countless number of emails that had been sent to him that morning alone. He'd read a very important email from a very important investor, but his mind and heart were not in his work like they normally were.

Instead, he found himself sidetracking and thinking about Miley, about how she was, about her outburst last night, about how innocent she had been, about how much he wanted to help her.

He groaned and massaged his temples. He would have to skip his lunch break to get all these emails replied to. There were so many, so many people trying to contact him. It was tiring, Nick's job, but he enjoyed it all the same.

Taylor knocked on his office door and after a quiet 'come in' from Nick, she entered with a freshly bought Starbucks in her hand. He smiled widely as she placed it on his desk. A caffeine boost was just what he needed.

"Thanks Taylor," he said happily, "This is just what I needed."

"No problem," Taylor replied, twirling her blonde ringlets around her slim fingers.

He half expected Taylor to leave the office, and when she remained stood where she was, he asked her, as politely as possible, if there was anything else she wanted to say.

"Demi left a message for you," Taylor began hastily, "She told you not to worry, but she's had to take Miley – at least, I think that's her name, maybe it was Lily, or Millie – to hospital. She said it's nothing serious but..."

Taylor did not even finish her sentence, as Nick was already shoving on his coat and ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Taylor asked, "You can't just...leave."

Nick grabbed his briefcase and told her, as calmly as he could, "I'm taking the rest of the day off Taylor. You all can manage a few hours without me. I need to go. See you tomorrow."

With that, he left.

Nick's heart was beating furiously when he made it to the hospital. He'd tried several times to call Demi but she hadn't picked up, much to his annoyance. He knew she said 'not to worry', but that was an impossible request. Nick was the biggest worry guts on Earth. He couldn't help but think something terrible had happened to Miley.

Also, storming out of work in the middle of the say was not a good move. There would be a lot of things to catch up on tomorrow but in all honesty he didn't care, he would deal with the consequences later. He just wanted to make sure Miley was okay.

He rushed over to the hospital reception and with a shaky voice asked which ward Miley Stewart was on. The police nurse told him she was on ward 12.

After getting lost several times and having to ask 4 times for directions, Nick finally found Miley. She was asleep in the hospital bed with no visible wounds. She was not attached to a drip or life support machine, thank goodness. Demi sat beside her bed, reading Vogue magazine.

"Demi," Nick almost growled, "Can you please tell me what the fuck is going on?"

Demi looked up at him, surprised at his presence. She seemed too relaxed to Nick. Why wasn't she worrying, like he was?

"Why are you here?" Demi asked with a raised eyebrow, "Aren't you meant to be running your billion dollar business?"

"Well I couldn't be at work when you called saying something terrible had happened," Nick began, but Demi cut him off.

"I didn't say something terrible had happened at all. I told you not to worry. Miley's fine, Nick," Demi said soothingly, gesturing for him to sit on the seat next to her.

Nick sat down and let out a sigh of relief; he was still tensed up with worry though. Sensing this, Demi began to explain what had happened.

"I took Miley to my house and well, you know them shitty vases Joe bought me for my birthday a few years back? You know, the glass ones that he bought from that yard sale because he thought they were 'pretty'...Anyway, I was in the kitchen making something to eat and I heard Miley scream and when I go in to see what's happened, she's smashed the vase and there's a big cut all down her arm. I wasn't really bothered. About the vases I mean, because i've always wanted to get rid of them. But Miley's cut was pretty deep and there was lots of glass in it, so I took her here in a panic. Anyway, when the doctors were fixing up her arm, it was just disgusting...all torn and squirting blood. She fainted. And she's still sleeping now, so the doctor just said to let her rest. But the good news is her arm is patched up and should heal pretty soon. So nothing to worry about," Demi finished with a reassuring smile.

Nick wasn't pleased though, "Nothing to worry about! Demi, anything could of happened to her, you should of been more careful! Jesus, do I have to watch over her all the time to make sure nothing happens?"

Demi was taken aback, "Nick, whoa, calm down. The cut isn't even that bad. Miley only fainted because she hates the sight of blood. Why are you so angry?"

Nick hesitated as he looked at Miley sleeping peacefully. So, so beautiful he thought to himself. He didn't know how he would feel if something bad actually _had _happened to her. He would be absolutely past himself with worry. Why was he so protective of her? Why had he been so worried when Demi had left that message? What was he going to say to Demi?

"Because..." he began, trying to sound confident, "Um, because..."

Demi studied her close friend's face with her knowing eyes. She'd known Nick for so long, and she knew pretty much everything about him. She knew he was one of the greatest guys ever. That he was a gentleman. That he would do anything for his family. And she also knew that it took a lot for him to let someone in. He had dated Selena for just under a year, yet it was clear that she had never really gotten past the wall that Nick so often put around himself. He was a very inverted person; perhaps not shy, just very wary of people. Demi had luckily got past the border, but it had taken quite a lot to get close to him. He was just that type of person.

But Miley seemed to have torn down these walls and made a cosy home in Nick's heart. Nick obviously cared for her a lot; taking her into his home, buying her expensive things, trying to rebuild her life, rushing out of his precious work just to see if she was okay. He cared for her, that was clear.

"You like her," Demi said knowingly, watching as Nick's soft brown eyes tore themselves away from the sleeping Miley.

Nick scrunched up his nose, "No. That's absurd. I haven't even know her that long..."

"But you obviously care for her," Demi said, crossing her arms, "It's not like you at all to rush out of work for something. You are a workaholic. It'd take something very important to tear you away from that desk."

Stung by the truth of her words, Nick continued to object, "But Miley is my responsibility now, isn't she? I had to see if she was okay because I'm...well, I'm looking after her."

He ran a hand through his brown curls and looked at Miley again. She was make up less today, and her hair was laying behind her back as she slept on her side, facing Nick and Demi. He felt the same tug on his heart he had felt the night before, and it worried him.

Was Demi right? Did he like her?

No, of course he didn't. He wasn't 12 anymore. He was grown man, he didn't _like _people. This wasn't high school. Miley was an unstable woman. She needed help and Nick was giving her that help. He was just being kind. Of course he cared. But he didn't care like that.

Miley stirred softly in her sleep.

"I've never known you to care for someone so much in such a short space of time. That's weird for you. Hell, that's weird for anyone. There's something there Nick, isn't there?" Demi pressed on, she wasn't giving up.

"I wish you didn't know me so well," Nick muttered.

When Miley woke up, she in Nick's huge, comfy bed. She yawned, and stretched.

Then she groaned, as a sting in her left arm erupted. She realized she had a bandage on her arm, and could feel stitches underneath that. She then remembered dropped Demi's vase and then being took to hospital. Then she remembered the doctor tending to her arm, and the blood. The everything went black for a while.

Then, while she was sleeping she had the same nightmare she had been having for a long time now. She was crying out for people to help her. Just like always, no one answered. But this one particular time, she awoke in a hospital bed to Nick above her stroking her hair.

It took her a while to accustom to her surroundings, but she finally made sense out of everything about a few seconds. She smiled contently at Nick's gentle touch.

"The nightmare?" he asked gently.

Miley had nodded. Then she had fell asleep again.

And now, she had awoken here. Nick must of taken her home after he discharged her from hospital.

Before she knew it, he was at the door way, a worried expression on his handsome face. "Are you okay?" he asked, "I heard you wake up."

Miley smiled; his presence always made her feel better, safe. "I'm fine thanks."

"Can I get you anything? Water? Food? You must be hungry."

Miley, suddenly realizing she was starving, nodded shyly. "A sandwich would be nice please."

Nick nodded, and was about to leave to make her it. But she called him and asked him to sit with her for a while. He sat at her feet and she crawled closer to him and wrapped her arms around him softly, wordlessly. He did the same. After a while, she made her way onto his lap.

"I'm sorry for being trouble today," Miley apologized cutely, running her fingers through his curly hair.

Nick enjoyed the feeling. "Don't be stupid. There's no need to be sorry. I was worried sick though."

She looked into his brown eyes with her wide blue ones, "Why were you so worried?"

"Because I didn't want anything to happen to you," he admitted shyly, looking down at the floor.

She put her soft hands either side of his face and, after looking into his eyes for what seemed like forever, left a lingering kiss on his lips.

Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her small waist, pulling her small body closer to his.

The kiss deepened, and so did their feelings for each other.


	7. Chapter 7

**PLEASE READ.**

**Before I start, I would just like to thank everyone that reviewed. Once again, I'm really sorry for abandoning this story for so long. I had no idea people still read it, so thank you SO much for everyone that reviewed, it actually means so much.**

**But I want to ask a huge favour from you all. I have never completed a story on here purely because the reviews stop coming and I don't know who I'm writing for anymore, or if people are enjoying it. I know a lot of people like this story, but I know I have a lot of SILENT READERS. I am guilty of reading a story that I really enjoy but failing to leave a review from the author. Nothing is more frustrating than checking my story traffic, seeing that alot of people have visited yet only a handful have left reviews. Don't get me wrong, every single review I get means a lot. You guys are great and the reason I'm writing right now when I should be doing maths homework!**

**But, if you happen to read this chapter and enjoy it (or even if you don't) please please please leave a review. It doesn't matter how long or short. **

**Thank you**

Kissing Miley was a wondrous experience. Suddenly, he felt like a 14 year old boy again—curious, nervous, and excited. As his large hands gently glided up her back, taking her top with him and leaving a trail of warmth, he felt as if he was touching a woman for the first time. Her arms secured around his neck as she pressed herself against him eagerly.

Her lips began at his neck; kissing, licking, sucking wherever possible. He knew from her varied techniques that she had obviously had a lot of experience. Miley pressed down on his shoulders so he fell back and she was on top of him. Gently, she pressed their crotches together before letting their lips meet again.

As her tongue gently traced his bottom lip, Nick began to question what the fuck he was doing. Or what _she _was doing. What they _both _were doing. They weren't...they couldn't...Sure, there had been some sexual tension, but that's completely normal between two people. Right? This was wrong. Very wrong. And it needed to stop...

But then Miley's small and dainty hand traced his crotch.

_No, _he thought_, this is definitely right._

Instinctively, his hands travelled to her ass. It seemed to fit perfectly into his hands; firm, shaped, and hot as hell. He could feel himself getting hard now; being deprived of sex for so long had certainly taken its toll. She felt his erection and smiled into the kiss, and began to slide her hand into his pants.

It was then the buzzer for Nick apartment sounded. He pulled away instantly, and stared into Miley's liquid-y blue eyes that, just like his, were darkened with lust.

"I better get that," he said awkwardly, his breath hot and slightly shaky. She nodded and rolled off him.

He began walking out the room but then stopped and turned to look back at her. She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. When she sensed his staring she looked at him, her blue eyes piercing; she seemed to be amused by something.

"Miley, I-" Nick was cut off by the buzzer again. Whoever was at the door was certainly adamant. He shook head and left the room.

"Nick," she called, "You still have a boner." He heard her laugh erupt and looked down at himself.

He groaned. The buzzer sounded once more and he ran awkwardly over to buzz them in. "Who is it?" he said whilst pressing the button, looking around desperately for something to cover his erection up with.

He half excepted it to be Joe, who occasionally dropped by his penthouse for something to do. Nick's mind was too preoccupied thinking about his intense make out session with Miley to think it might be someone like, oh you know...

"Your mother," came a female voice from the other end.

His heart stopped for a moment. He gulped loudly. "O-oh okay," then, he stared desperately down at his erection which had created a sort of tent in his pants. "Go _away_!" he muttered to his member angrily.

"What?" came his mother's hurt voice through the line.

"No not you!" Nick said quickly, realising he'd forgotten to take his finger off the button, "I was...Nevermind, come in." He buzzed her in.

The lift would take about 20 seconds to get to his apartment. Hurriedly, he ran into his bedroom, hoping to tell Miley his mom was coming and she kept out of sight. Unfortunately, she was not there. Stressed, he grabbed a small pillow and threw himself onto the couch, his erection pressing against the pillow still. "Jesus Christ," he muttered, "Why are you still HERE!"

"Who? Me?" came Miley's voice as she emerged from the kitchen.

"No-Miley..Get behind the couch..my mom..quick!"

Confused, Miley followed his orders and hid behind the couch, just in time, as Nick's mother opened the door, carrying a homemade lasagne in her hands.

"Hello, Nicholas!" she said cheerfully, placing the lasagne on a near by table and holding her arms out for a hug. She was surprised and quite hurt when he did not move from the couch and awkwardly told her to sit next to him.

"Is everything okay, sweetie?" she asked, failing to cloak the concerned tone in her voice.

"Yeah," Nick smiled widely hoping to convince her, "Everything's fine."

He felt himself get soft again and casually removed the pillow from his crotch area. "So," he began, "What brings you?"

His mother smiled, her tired eyes lighting up, "I brought you over some lasagne, you know, your favourite."

"Yeah," Nick nodded, "Thanks."

Denise's face carved into a concerned expression. Being so close to his mom, Nick knew instantly something was up. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

"I'm just a little worried about you, honey. Your dad found out you've had a few days off work recently, which is not like you at all...Have you been feeling sick? I hate how you're here on your own constantly, this place is massive, you must feel so lonely! And if something happened to you, God forbid, there'd be no one here to help you..." his mom trailed off, worrying herself with dark possibilities.

"Mom, calm down," Nick laughed steadily, grabbing her hand and squeezing it comfortably, "I've just been...preoccupied. There's nothing to worry about, I swear."

She smiled softly, and slowly leaned over and kissed her youngest sons forehead; she had always been protective of Nick. "I just worry about you," she said softly.

"I'm not a little kid anymore," Nick laughed, "I'm fine. I can look after myself."

She nodded. "I miss you, you know. You hardly ever come to see me or your dad. I know you're busy with work and what not but still..."

Nick felt instantly guilty, "I'm sorry, mom. I will come more often, I promise. I've just got...stuff to look after. You know, distractions."

She nodded again, this time with a faint smile, "Yes, I understand. Sorry, I don't want to seem like I'm pressuring you."

"I love you," Nick said softly.

"I love you too," she replied, giving him one last hug before standing up. She picked up the lasagne and began to walk into the kitchen to put it in the oven.

Quickly, Nick lent over the couch to see Miley curled up in a ball.

"Miley," he hissed.

She looked up.

"Miley, my mom's here."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"You need to go!"

"What? Go where?"

"I don't know...anywhere."

His mother's voice could be heard from the kitchen, "Nicholas, who are you talking to?"

"No one mom!" he called back, then looked back down at Miley and begged her with his eyes.

"Where should i go?" she hissed.

But it was too late. Nick's mom had already emerged from the kitchen.

She looked from the crouching Miley, to a stressed Nick.

"Who are you?" she asked, narrowing her kind but suspicious eyes on Miley.


	8. Chapter 8

Nick could feel his heart beat rapidly in his chest. His vision switched from his mom to Miley several times before he finally spoke, "Oh, this is...my friend, Miley."

"Oh," was Denise's simple response. She smiled at Miley, and then flashed a suspicious look at Nick, who was chewing his lip, a nervous habit he had picked up as a child.

"It's nice to meet you," Miley said awkwardly, trying her best to act as if the situation was completely normal. She didn't know how to act; what was Nick going to tell him mom? Was he just going to tell her what was going on or not? And if he didn't, why did he want to hide it? And what would his mom think of it all? Questions began swooping around her head until she felt dizzy.

"It's nice to meet you too," Denise smiled warmly, although there was still a suspicious look in her eye that Nick tried his very hardest to avoid.

There was suddenly an awkward silence. Everyone in the room seemed to avoiding each other's gaze. Nick rubbed his hands together and asked if anyone wanted some coffee. Both females said no. He swallowed hard and began to think of ways he could defuse the situation.

"Miley was just stopping by, actually," Nick said suddenly, making both of them look at him in a confused manner, "Yeah, she just came by to um...drop something off."

The look Nick gave her indicated to Miley that she had better carry the lie on. She awkwardly pushed her hair behind her ears, "Oh, um, yeah. I was just leaving, actually."

Nick nodded, his eyes focused on Miley. "Yeah," he said, "I'll just...walk you to the door." He placed his hand on Miley's back and half directed half pushed her towards the direction of the door.

"Goodbye!" Denise called from where she was standing.

"Bye!" Miley said with a false smile before Nick whisked her round the corner.

When they were both out of ear shot of Denise, Miley looked at Nick with wide, confused eyes. "What's going on?" she demanded, keeping her voice low.

"Look, I can't explain right now. I'm going to text Demi and she'll come pick you up and you can go out with her for a bit until my mom leaves, okay?" Nick sounded frustrated, and that frightened Miley as he was always so sure of everything.

Miley chewed her lip nervously, "Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

"No, no. It's not like that...I just don't think my mom would..." he got distracted as he was typing a message to Demi on his phone. He pressed the send button and then looked up to Miley, who looked sort of confused and angry at the same time.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his phone vibrated and he looked at the message: _Sure, I'll come pick Miley up now. Has something happened? _Nick felt relieved, knowing that Demi would take Miley off his hands for a while. His mom was going to be highly suspicious and it would take him a long time to convince her. _Just come _Nick typed back.

"Nick," Miley mumbled, "_What's happening_?"

"Demi's coming to pick you up now –"

"But why?" Miley asked.

"Because, well, I don't really know how to explain right now. I mean you seen how my mom looked back there? She knows something's going on."

"So if she knows, why don't you just tell her?"

Nick was starting to get more and more frustrated, "It's not that easy with her."

"I'm so confused right now," Miley stated as she ran her fingers through her long brown hair. She didn't understand Nick, she really didn't. One minute they were making out, and then he was practically kicking her out.

"Look, just wait outside; Demi will be there soon okay?" Nick pleaded.

Miley looked at him, not knowing what to say. In the end she just nodded and wordlessly exited his apartment. She didn't bother looking back at him. Was he _embarrassed _of her or something? She suddenly felt her eyes watering, and she didn't understand why. She wasn't really upset or anything, she was just so confused. She was used to feeling like she wasn't wanted, but Nick had never ever made her feel like that...but now he'd gone and basically kicked her out of his house, making her feel extremely unwanted. What had she done? Nothing. Why didn't he just tell him mom the truth, what was the big deal?

When she was outside the apartment building she realised she was crying. She tried to wipe the tears away but they kept coming. She couldn't understand why. Before long Demi pulled up in her car. She rushed out and ran over to Miley, and asked her what was wrong.

Miley sniffed, her tears slowly subsiding. She couldn't exactly explain what wass wrong with her as she didn't exactly know. She began to explain what had happened, but her voice kept breaking as she spoke.

"Come on," Demi said with an arm around Miley as she guided her into the car, "You can tell me about it in the car. We'll go for a drive."

It took Miley a good few minutes to compose herself. She kept looking out the window aimlessly, letting the last tears run down her face without making an attempt to discard them. Demi began driving around the posh area around Nick's apartment, waiting patiently for Miley to begin speaking.

"Well," Miley begun, finally composed, "We...we were sort of...making out."

Demi's head snapped towards Miley instantly, "What?!"

Miley gulped, "Well, he must of took me home, and I woke up and he asked me if I wanted anything to eat. And then I said yeah, but then he came and sat next to me and I gave him a hug, and he started saying all this stuff like he didn't want anything bad to happen to me, and he was just being really sweet. I mean, hardly anyone has ever been that sweet to me before. And well, I just sort of kissed him, I didn't really intend for it to turn into making out or anything but it did. Then anyway, the buzzer sounded for his apartment and it turned out to be his mom. He made me hide behind the couch and she was saying how much she missed him and everything and they were being all cute and then she seen me and Nick lied and said I was his friend and basically forced me out the apartment and got you to pick me up, and I'm just so confused I mean I have no idea what's going on," Miley took a deep breath, her voice shaking again, "I mean, is he embarrassed of me, or something? I mean what did I do wrong?"

Demi listened intently with a furrowed brow. "What is he _doing_," she muttered, slightly to herself. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"What?" Miley asked.

Demi chewed her lip for a while before she spoke. "Listen," she said, sounding very serious, "I know Nick really well. I mean, I've known him pretty much my whole life. And his relationship with his mom is really important to him. I mean, he never lies to her. Trust me. He's always been a sort of goody two shoes, not in a bad way, just because he respects her so much. And well, if Denise found out he'd basically found you in a club and took you home, bought you all these new expensive clothes and let you live with him – well, I don't know how she'd take it. She's a nice woman and all, a _really _nice woman, but –"

"So what's the problem?" Miley inquired, "I don't get it."

"Well Nick was obviously scared of her reaction. He's scared of anyone's reaction to anything. He _never _does anything out of the ordinary. If something would make people look at him differently he just wouldn't do it. But helping you like this...I mean you're a complete stranger to him, and he's done all this for you, and it's amazing. But what would other people of it? A rich business tycoon taking in a...well, a random woman. Who happens to have, well, if you don't mind me saying, slept around a lot..." Demi trailed off. She felt bad for saying the last sentence but she didn't feel like beating around the bush. She wanted Miley to understand the situation.

However Miley looked un phased , "So, he thinks his mom is going to think I'm a hooker or something?"

Demi shrugged, "I don't know, but that's probably it. Nick's the baby of the family. His mom wouldn't want him to be...well you know what I mean."

Miley suddenly felt like crying again. Nick was embarrassed of her. He really was. A few tears escaped her eyes.

"Miley," Demi said calmly as she approached the highway, "Is anything else the matter?"

Miley sniffed. She didn't really know what to say. "Demi," she began quietly, "I...Whenever I'm with him I get these...these little butterflies in my stomach. I appreciate what he's done so much. I mean, who know someone could be so nice? Just thinking about him now, it makes me tingle a bit inside. And when I was kissing him earlier, I don't know. I've kissed a lot of people but...Oh God I don't know what I'm saying. Oh God."

"Don't worry," Demi said, "I'll talk to him, okay?"

"About what?" Miley asked.

Demi thought for a moment. "Well...about you, of course. Maybe it'd be best if you stayed with me for a while Miley."


	9. Chapter 9

"She's more messed up than you think, Nick," Demi spoke hotly, her hands flying in the air in exasperation. She had been trying, for almost half an hour, to make Nick realise Miley was more unstable than they had both initially assumed. She'd suggested she get some help, but Nick brushed off the idea, which had only frustrated Demi.

"Look," Nick was gripping onto the kitchen island, his knuckles white, "I know she's not completely okay, but what do you expect? Do you know what she's gone through? I should have handled the situation today a lot better, I know that, and she has a right to be upset. Just because she cried doesn't mean she's a psychopath, for God's sake!"

Demi chewed on her lower lip as she watched her friend begin to pace and up and down his large kitchen. His eyes seemed to be darting everywhere, he couldn't keep still. He kept itching the back of his neck, chewing his lip, running his fingers worriedly through his brown curls. You didn't have to know Nick well to know that he was stressed.

"Nick," she spoke gently before placing a comforting hand on his forearm, "Don't get worked up about it. We'll sort this out, okay?"

"There's nothing to sort out!" Nick suddenly snapped, his brow knitted together in a neat line as his mouth pressed into a straight line.

Demi was confused by his sudden outburst – Nick was not the type of person to get angry. Even with the continuous stress of his dominating work life he managed to keep himself calm and level headed. But now, over an issue that he needn't be so worried about, he was the most worked up Demi had ever seen him.

"Calm down!" She yelled back, crossing her arms over her chest, "Don't even think about taking this out on me. It's your fault you messed up back there. Why couldn't you just tell your mom the truth?"

Nick sighed and his shoulders slumped. He leaned back against the counter and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows before he spoke, "I don't know. There were just so many things going through my head. I didn't want my mom to think Miley was just some hooker I'd dragged in off the street. I mean, you know my mom, she's lovely and everything, but I don't think she'd understand. You _know _how picky she can be with women. Selena was the only one she approved of, and looked how that relationship ended."

Demi's brow creased, "I don't get what you're saying," she admitted flatly.

Nick groaned, "I'm trying to say that the situation I was in was not how I intended for my mom to meet Miley."

"What?" Demi's eyebrows pricked up, "So you're saying you had an intention for Miley to meet your parents?"

Nick avoided her gaze, "No, well, I mean, eventually, maybe..."

"I knew there was something going on between you two!" Demi said, pointing an intimidating finger at Nick, "You like her! Of course you like her!"

"Oh, please," Nick grumbled, his arms not crossed over his chest defensively, "Just because I thought about her meeting my parents didn't mean I like her."

Demi scoffed, "Nick, how many women have you been with that haven't met your parents? The only person who met your parents met was Selena, your _only _serious relationship. And even she didn't meet them until after the two of you had been dating for months."

Demi looked at him accusingly, her eyebrows were raised and he felt intimidated by her knowing stare. He snuffled awkwardly.

"You're being absurd," he muttered under his breath. His mind suddenly produced images of Miley laughing, the feeling of her soft skin against his own, the first time he'd seen her – totally wasted at the bar, the worry he'd experienced when he'd heard she was in hospital, the connection between their lips that had sparked an electric current through his body...

_You don't like her_ he reminded himself mentally, _you don't like her_.

"I just want you to be happy, Nick," Demi spoke softly, a frown forming on her full lips, "But I think, for now, Miley should live with me."

Nick eyes darted to her at the suggestion, "What? Why?!"

"She's been through enough," Demi said with a sigh, "The last thing she needs is to live with a man who she has feelings for that, may I just add, showed interest towards her that obviously made her believe he liked her back. I mean you don't just _make out _with someone who you don't like, do you?"

Nick blushed, "She told you about that..."

"Yes," Demi said hotly, "You're confusing her. It isn't fair."

"It was in the moment," Nick explained hurriedly, "I didn't intend for it –"

"Look," Demi spoke defiantly, "Miley is an adult and she deserves to be treat like one. We can't just debate where she's going to live like she's a child," she paused for a moment as she met Nick's guilty eyes, "You need to be honest with her, Nick."

Nick dipped his head guiltily. He nodded his head then ran a hand through his hair after letting out yet another loud sigh. "I will. So Miley's at yours then?"

"Yes," Demi nodded, "She's with Joe at the moment. I better head back, it's getting late," she picked up her handbag and Nick walked her to the door; before she left she told him quietly, "I'll call you tomorrow. You can speak to her then. Goodbye, Nick."

"Bye, Demi," he replied with a forced smile.

He closed the door, and as soon as he heard the lock click he realised he was surrounded by loneliness. Despite the numerous furniture in his house, he'd never felt like it was more empty.

_**Nick had struggled to get to sleep. He eventually did at around 2am, although at 3 he was awoken by the noise of the buzzer for his apartment sounding repeatedly. It woke him with a start and he sat up instantly, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he climbed out of bed and headed towards the door. As the sound of his naked feet slapping against the tiles on the floor entered his ears, he wondered who on earth would be at his apartment at this time of night?**_

_**Maybe it was Joe – it was possible he'd had an argument with Demi and hence having no where to go had sought refuge in his rich younger brother. Nick wouldn't be surprised as it had happened before.**_

_**He answered the door, his eyes heavy for lack of sleep and he felt embarrassed by his pyjamas. Although his eyes widened considerably when he noticed the tall brunette stood in front of him.**_

"_**I missed you," she whimpered shyly. Without another word she walked forward and wrapped her arms around Nick, resting her head on his chest as she breathed in his comforting scent.**_

_**Instinctively, he enclosed his arms around her and pulled her close. It was odd, really, that having Miley close to him again had improved the lonely mood in which he had found himself in just moments before. He held her tight, hoping his body heat would warm her up as she was freezing.**_

"_**Did you walk all the way here?" he muffled into the top of her head, his heart swelling at the thought of her walking all the way from Demi's to his apartment; then his chest clenched with worry. What if something had happened to her?**_

"_**yes," she said cutely, her grip on him tightening as the heat radiating from his chest soaked through the thin material of his white pyjama top, "I couldn't sleep."**_

"_**You should of called me and I'd of picked you up," he gasped as he put her freezing cold hands up the back of his top and onto his hot back in an attempt to warm them up. He shuddered, cold. She apologised quickly but before she could withdraw her hands Nick told her it was okay.**_

_**She nestled further into him, if that was even possible, and sighed contently. "Are you tired?" she asked.**_

"_**Not anymore," he replied with a small smile.**_

_**She suddenly pulled away from him and this gave Nick the opportunity to survey what she was wearing: some worn in Converse that he assumed Demi had given her, some black leggings and an oversized plaid shirt that was huge on her. His brow creased, "Who's shirt is that?"**_

"_**Joe's," she said, looking at it with a downturned smirk, "It's nice, isn't it? He had it on and I said I liked it, and he just gave me it."**_

_**Nick didn't like that. "Hmm" he hummed before grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the room in which all of the clothes he'd bought her were situated, "Come on, let's go find you something that actually fits you."**_

_**He began to rummage through some clothes, hoping to find some pyjamas. Miley stood behind him, still shivering from the blistering cold New York night. He finally pulled out a large white shirt of his own; he grinned almost mischievously. He'd much rather see her slim figure become drowned by his clothes, not Joe's. **_

"_**Nick," her voice was soft and still shaking from the cold.**_

_**He turned around, "Yes?"**_

"_**Can you do this for me?" she nodded towards the buttons on the large plaid shirt, "My hands...they're so cold, I can't feel them."**_

_**Nick nodded and headed towards her before he even contemplated what she was asking him to do. He was going to undress her. He knew, subconsciously, that he was mentally turning the situation sexual when in reality it wasn't particular intended to be. But still – the prospect of peeling Miley's clothes off her made him excited; the sort of excitement he hadn't experienced since he'd last had sex – and that was months ago. **_

_**His fingers began to undo the buttons on her shirt. He refused to meet her gaze, although he could feel her blue eyes boring into him like lasers. He gulped as the buttons became dangerously close to revealing her cleavage. He popped another button open; it revealed the start of the valley between her breasts. He awkwardly carried on, biting his lip as he did so. **_

"_**You look hot when you bite your lip," he heard her voice say suddenly. He blinked, confused at the comment. He released his lower lip and chuckled nervously, his fingers struggling to open a particular tricky button.**_

_**He opened it, eventually. As the top fell away from her person he took a short intake of breath. She wasn't wearing a bra. He found it hard to tear his gaze away from her womanhood, but when he finally connected his eyes with hers she was giggling.**_

"_**Haven't you seen boobs before?" she asked with a smirk.**_

_**Nick felt his cheeks colour slightly, "Yes."**_

_**He felt her dainty hands intertwine with his suddenly. His arms fell loosely by his sides; he was still confused and alarmed by the situation he found himself in. Her bare chest was making it increasingly hard to act normal. All of a sudden she leant up and placed a soft kiss to his plump lips. Slowly, she pulled away; she watched with a smile dancing on her lips as Nick's brown eyes darkened with lust. **_

_**He leaned down and kissed her again, surprising himself with the amount of passion and hunger he was using. His tongue entered her mouth within seconds of their lips connecting; simultaneously his arms locked around her waist as he pulled her small body as close to him as he could manage. She knotted her fingers into his curls, groaning as his tongue flicked around her own. The pads of his fingertips trailed up her bare, tanned back; she shivered at the contact, her senses igniting at the sensual touch. **_

_**Breathlessly, she pulled away. Her lips began working on his neck as his hands slid down her back and caressed her backside. The feeling of her sculpted ass in his hands and the overwhelming affect her experienced lips had on his neck made him moan gently. Encouraged by the noise, she gently let her hand glide down his front until it landed on the crotch of his pyjama pants. She palmed him softly through the thin material before connecting their lips again. He groaned into her mouth; his morals were gone – he wanted her now. He didn't care anymore. He'd never wanted anyone so much in his life.**_

_**Abruptly, her hands worked to pull the white shirt over his head. Their lips parted for only a second as the material brushed past his face before they were kissing again; this time, more hungry and wanting than they had been before. **_

_**He picked her small frame up before placing her on the disgruntled sheets on his bed. Slowly, he climbed on top of her, kissing her from her abdomen to her cleavage to her eagerly awaiting lips. She fisted at his hair as she kicked off her shoes, moaning as his tongue suddenly flicked across her hardened nipple whilst his thumb and forefinger nipped her other one. **_

_**Suddenly she flipped them over. Relentlessly, she pulled down his pyjama pants and he arched his back to help her out. His erection was growing eagerly in his underwear, ands he brushed her fingers tips over the hardness as she straddled him. She smirked, enjoying the way in which his breathing quickened. She ran her long fingernails down his torso and he released a throaty grunt as his hips bucked involuntarily.**_

"_**You're impatient," she whispered as she toyed with the elastic of his boxers.**_

"_**I don't like to be teased," he panted.**_

_**Achingly slowly she pulled back the material of his underwear before peeling them off entirely. His erection sprung free and his hands darted to it instantly, his touch soothing the ache in his abdomen. She slapped his hands away instantly, replacing his touch with her own. He leaned up on his elbows, watching her as she pumped up and down his length with her skilled hand.**_

"_**Oh God," he muttered croakily, his head leaning back as the feeling of pleasure sparked a fire in his lower stomach that was slowly venturing to every part of his body.**_

_**She leaned down and gently licked the tip with her tongue. He bit down on his lips hard, struggling to suppress a moan that was fighting to come out. She then proceeded to wrap her full lips around his hardened cock, before bopping her head up and down. Nick felt his heart accelerate. He pushed some hair out of her face so he could watch her pleasure him. **_

_**She stopped suddenly and Nick faltered; he was so close, why was she stopping?**_

"_**Nick?" she said, her blue eyes innocent despite the actions in which she had recently partaken.**_

"_**Yeahh?" he managed to say through ragged breaths.**_

"_**Wake up."**_

Nick woke with a start; jolting upright in bed as his heart pounded painfully fast in his chest. It was a dream. He sighed heavily before falling back onto the pillows, rubbing his eyes before checking the time – 4: 00 am. It had seemed to real that it made him sad to know it wasn't true. He turned over and closed his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to get back to sleep, a certain blue eyed brown haired woman plaguing his thoughts.


End file.
